After the annual debut whirl of Week 1, the second week of the 2011 season was quiet on the debut front, highlighted by the Major League debuts of the two remaining players who had broken camp with their respective big league clubs but had not yet played at the end of the first coverage period (Monday-Sunday) — Seattle ace-in-training Michael Pineda and Pittsburgh utility infielder Josh Rodriguez, the first pick in the Rule 5 Draft.

MICHAEL PINEDA
RHP, Seattle Mariners
B/T: R/R H/W: 6-7/260 BORN: Jan. 18, 1989
ACQUIRED: Signed as a free agent in in 2005 out of the Dominican Republic.
PROMOTED: Made Mariners’ Opening Day roster.
DEBUT: April 5 in a 3-2 loss to the Rangers: The starting pitcher, he took the loss, allowing three runs on five hits in six innings, walking one and striking out four.
NOTES: The once VERY rangy Pineda has grown up and filled out and now more closely resembles the future ace which he is expected to be before long. After posting a 1.95 ERA at Class A Wisconsin in 2008, he emerged onto the radar screen as the organization’s top mound prospect and could be providing quite a one-two punch with King Felix before long. A sore elbow erased much of his 2009 campaign and limited him to just 12 games, during which he posted a very impressive 2.84 ERA at Advanced A High Desert, one of the worst parks for pitchers in the minors. In 2010, a healthy Pineda combined to go 8-1 with a 2.22 ERA in 13 games at Double A West Tenn and posted a 4.76 ERA in 12 more starts at Triple-A Tacoma before being brought to Seattle in September as an inactive player to get a feel for his future home. He throws a lively fastball in the mid-high 90s, a slider and a changeup.

JOSH RODRIGUEZ
SS/2B, Pittsburgh Pirates
B/T: R/R H/W: 6-0/185 BORN: Dec. 18, 1984
ACQUIRED: Selected with the first pick in the 2010 Rule 5 Draft from Cleveland.
PROMOTED: Made Pirates’ Opening Day roster.
DEBUT: April 5 in a 3-2 loss to the Cardinals: Pinch-ran for Ryan Doumit in the ninth inning.
NOTES: The first player taken in the 2010 Rule 5 Draft, Rodriguez is not unlike fellow infield Emaus in that he’s more of a force on offense than defense. But in a pitching-heavy draft year (in fact, only three position players were taken and all three — Rodriguez, Emaus and Martinez — made their respective clubs) he was an attractive option for the Pirates. He has more than decent pop for his role, including a 20-homer season in 2007 at Advanced A Kinston. He can serve at shortstop, second and third base and hit .293 with 13 homers at Triple-A Columbus in 2010 (following a brief start where he batted .317 at Double0A Akron) after missing most of ’09 due to injuries. Current Pirates GM Neal Huntington was certainly familiar with what Rodriguez has to offer, having come over from the Indians himself.